Moments
by Fellykins
Summary: Castle finds himself stuck in a robbery turned hostage situation on the day he accompanied his mother to the bank to get a loan for her acting studio. He's on the phone with Beckett when the robbery starts, and her worst fears come to life as she does everything in her power to reunite the Castle family.


**Author's Note:** Wow, I just want to say I am shocked by how much of a warm welcome I got into this fandom! I know fandoms can be crazy sometimes, but I just was not expecting such a positive reception to my previous story, the first I've even done for this series. I still would've wrote more Castle stories even without the positive reception, but I just want to say I'm eternally grateful for it because the more I've watched Castle, the more I've realized just what this show means to me. But I'll spare y'all the finer details of that and present another one shot, this one based around 4x07, "Cops & Robbers," and Beckett's feelings about it all. I've got a lot of ideas swirling around in my mind about Castle and Beckett, and this is just one of many. Some quotes may be familiar from the episode, but I tried to spice it up a little bit too.

"Tell me you need me."

There were a lot of thoughts that went through Beckett's mind when she heard Castle say that, some of which weren't very appropriate. Did she need him? Yes, in more ways than one. Was she going to tell him that? No. If there was one thing Beckett wasn't going to do, it was going to be feeding into his already large ego. That and there was still the whole lying about remembering what happened when she was shot thing that she was still going with, and that was a conversation she didn't want to have over the phone… or at all, really. Not now, anyways. She wasn't ready. Not yet.

"What?" Beckett asked after a moment's silence. It was the only appropriate response she could muster out.

"I'm at the bank with my mother while she tries to get the finances for her acting studio sorted out, and it's really boring," Castle replied. "Tell me you need me to come look at a dead body or something."

"No, just a lot of paperwork," Beckett said, rolling her eyes. "You're more than welcome to come do your share though."

"I like the dead body aspect more," Castle replied.

He heard her scoff in response, but he said nothing. She was talking, asking a question, but he was too busy watching people in the bank, particularly the two in scrubs and the unusual bulge in their pockets.

"Something's going on here," he finally said. "I think this bank is about to be robbed."

"Castle, it's a bank," Beckett said, rolling her eyes again.

"There's two people here in scrubs, a man and a woman," Castle said, peering from behind a corner out into the lobby. "Both have suspicious bulges in their pockets."

Beckett shook her head, though she couldn't help but smile. "You must be really bored if you're trying to make stories from people you see in a bank." But that was what he was good at. Though some of them were crazy and obnoxious, Beckett loved his stories. It always amazed her how he could turn anything into a story.

"No, I mean it, something's going on," Castle said.

No sooner had the words left his mouth, it happened.

"Everybody down on the ground!" one of the men in scrubs shouted. Guns were produced from each of the three robbers as panic ensued in the bank.

Beckett's heart sank the moment she realized Castle was actually being serious, but she kept her cool. She had Esposito and Ryan call in the robbery to dispatch, though the boys questioned her call until she told them Castle was involved. The boys knew just as well as she did that Castle was more than just a partner or a consultant to them; he was family, and when their family was in danger, they looked out for each other. This was no exception. As soon as her call with Castle was disconnected by one of the robbers, she was out of her chair and putting her coat on.

By the time Beckett and her team arrived, there was already a heavy police presence, though she wasn't surprised by this; squad cars were on their way before she even threw her coat on. Robbery and hostage wasn't their division, and she had a lot of paperwork back at the precinct to do, but she was going to be damned if she was going to sit back and wait for a call from Castle to let her know he and his mother were okay. She was going to be in that police barricade doing whatever she could to get them out, and no amount of paperwork would've been able to ease her worries about what could happen to them. The paperwork could wait, and maybe, if she was lucky, she could coerce Castle into actually doing some of it.

She tried to include herself in the case, but Commander Peterson, the guy in charge, didn't allow it. It didn't take Beckett long to determine that she didn't like him, but she also realized that this was his show, not hers. It wasn't going to stop her from helping, but he was in control here, not her.

At least he was shocked that Castle was in there, once she'd described him as her partner.

Beckett had Esposito and Ryan get to work on finding out any information they could through their connections, given that Peterson wasn't willing to let her help. From the looks of it, Peterson's attention was on controlling the situation and getting the hostages and robbers out while also minimizing civilian and police loss, but she realized that the more information they had, the more leverage they would have against the robbers, which hopefully gave them a better chance of getting everyone out alive, of getting Castle out.

One of Peterson's officers interrupted her conversation with her team. Apparently, Peterson was willing to talk to her. She couldn't guess what he wanted to discuss with her though, other than maybe an offer to let her help with this situation.

"Tell me something," he said once she was inside. "What were you thinking?"

"I was just trying to help out, sir," she replied.

"What? By charming the bank robber?" Peterson asked.

Beckett blinked. She tried to get the robbers to stand down and come out quietly, save them from a world of trouble. The only one on that call she was trying to charm was her partner, though she wouldn't admit that to anyone, not even Castle himself.

"What?" she replied, realizing that she needed to say something.

"We get him on the horn, but before I can get two words out, he says, and I quote, 'I will only talk to the lady cop, the one with the bedroom voice,'" Peterson said.

Beckett rolled her eyes. It sounded like something Castle would say, but surely he wouldn't be _that_ stupid. The robbers already knew he had a connection to the NYPD through her because he called her just before everything went down. There was no way in hell he'd be able to get a call through to her, and even if he did, there was no way he could've known she would actually show up at the crime scene.

"You wanted in, and now you're in," Peterson said.

"Sir, I'm a homicide detective. I don't have training in hostage negotiations," Beckett replied. Sure, she was able to talk down her fair share of murder suspects from killing anyone, but in those cases, it was one suspect against her and however many cops were with her; it was rare for her to have to talk a murder suspect into letting an innocent bystander. Most of the time, the only lives at risk were her own and the officers with her. In this case, it wasn't her life at risk, not literally anyways, but the lives of every single hostage in that room, including Castle and his mother.

"Yeah, well, I don't have time to give you a seminar," Peterson replied. "So think about it like this, do the opposite of what your homicide training tells you to do. The important thing is to keep them calm and build rapport, so no yelling or bullying or anything like that."

Beckett took a moment to consider the situation. Could she really do this? It would be nothing like what she was used to. In the back of her mind, she could hear Castle's voice telling her to take the chance, to have faith in herself, but hearing his imaginary voice reminded her that he was in there too. All she could think of was saying the wrong thing and getting him or his mother or any of the other innocent hostages killed.

"Detective," Peterson said, bringing her back to reality. "You up for this?"

"Yeah," Beckett said, taking off her coat and tossing it over the back of a chair. If this meant getting Castle, and everyone else inside, out alive, then she would take her chances. She _had_ to take her chances. Castle would've wanted her to. He always encouraged her to take risks, so why not now? "Yeah, absolutely."

She sat down in a chair and put the ear piece on. There was a moment of silence as she waited for someone on the other end to pick up.

"Who's this?" one of the robbers said.

"This is Detective Kate Beckett. I understand you wanted to speak with me," she replied.

"Yeah, I don't like that other guy," the robber replied.

"Yeah, me neither," Beckett replied, glancing back at Peterson with a small smile on her face. At least they could agree on one thing. He raised his eyebrows. She covered the microphone for just a moment to talk to him. "You told me to build a rapport." Peterson nodded his head and gave a slight shrug, so Beckett uncovered the microphone and continued talking to the robber.

And build rapport she did, or at least tried to. It seemed Trapper John knew their play book. He knew how all of this would go down. He was threatening to hurt Castle, and her heart sank, though she didn't show it.

There was a click, and Beckett blinked. She let out the breath she was holding as the robber spoke. She slid the ear piece off and placed it on the table as Peterson started talking. Whoever this guy was, he knew what he was doing.

She had to get out and get some air. She needed to think, clear her mind before she broke down in front of the wrong people. Castle was in danger, and she was sitting out here with no way to help or get in or anything. This robber already knew how to get under her skin, threatening to hurt a man that deep down, she cared deeply about; Richard Castle wasn't just her partner, he was her best friend. No, he was something more than that, but Beckett wasn't quite ready to admit it yet, not even to herself. It didn't matter though; there was work to be done, and she was sidelined while her partner sat inside in a situation where her mind could only think of the worst case scenarios.

Talking to Esposito, who connected with his friends in ESU, didn't ease her worries. They didn't have access to the cameras, so if they went in now, they'd be going in blind. She asked about the hostages' chances of survival if ESU stormed the bank, but Esposito didn't respond. He didn't have to; they'd worked together long enough that Beckett could read the response on his face. If her stomach was able to knot itself anymore, she was sure it would have.

They called her back inside, and with a reluctant sigh, she walked back in. Trapper John called back. After she put the ear piece on, she took a report from Peterson about one of the hostages inside, a pregnant woman, skimming over it briefly.

He was ready to make demands now, even as she tried to negotiate the rescue of a pregnant bank teller named Simone. A bus with tinted windows to take everyone inside to the airport. He'd release Simone upon arrival, then everyone else once they got to their destination. And they had three hours to get it.

Peterson was willing to give into his demands, though he was only planning to use it as leverage to get him and his accomplices out. Beckett shook her head. She had a feeling it wouldn't work how Peterson was hoping it would. Trapper John would expect it, Beckett could feel it. He knew their play book from the moment she first talked to him. This would be no different.

One of Peterson's team caught something on the cameras outside the building, pulling her away from her thoughts. She stepped over to look and noticed the flashing light on the ceiling.

"It's morse code," Beckett said. It was Castle giving them a message. She grabbed a pen and paper to write it down. "SDB 120, over and over again." She and Peterson struggled to figure it out. What was Castle trying to say to them? It took her a moment, but once she realized she had to think like him, everything clicked. "Safe Deposit Box 120. That's it."

"What does a safe deposit box have to do with anything?" Peterson asked as one of his team put in the information to look it up.

"I dunno, but if Castle went through the trouble of sending that message, it means something," Beckett replied.

"How do you know it's him?" Peterson asked.

Beckett smiled. "Trust me, it's him." The morse code was a very Castle thing to do, and he had to have known that she would come out to do whatever she could to help.

"Safe Deposit Box 120 belonged to a Gideon and Agnes Fields," the officer said. "Says they accessed it once a month."

"I'll get my team to check it out," Beckett said before walking out.

She walked back over to Esposito and Ryan sent them to meet with Gideon and Agnes Fields. None of them were sure how it connected to the robbery, but they knew one thing: Castle gave them that message for a reason. If there was one thing Beckett and her team knew about Castle, it was that his hunches were typically right, even if they did start as ridiculous, outlandish theory. He always had a way of figuring things out.

A call came through a little later, and the boys discovered the body of Agnes Fields. She looked over to the bank, a small smile forming on her lips, in part from the boys bickering and in part because of Castle. Even in the face of danger, Castle was helpful. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a familiar glimpse of red hair, and she took a quick look over to see Alexis approaching the police barricade.

"Dig up everything you can on Agnes Fields, I gotta go," Beckett said, ending the call. She walked over to Alexis, but before she could even open her mouth to speak, the teenager was already talking.

"They're here, aren't they?" Alexis said, panic rising in her voice with each sentence she spoke. Beckett tried to interrupt, but Alexis kept going. "My dad and gram. I knew they were coming here today, and neither of them are answering their phones and my dad always answers his phone and you're here and I don't know what's going on."

"Listen, Alexis," Beckett said, reaching out to touch the girl's arm for just a moment. "Everything's gonna be fine, okay? They are inside that bank, and we're gonna get them out."

"You don't understand, they're all I've got," Alexis said, her voice now laced with panic and frustration. "Do you hear me? They're all I've got!"

"Alexis, listen to me," Beckett said, grabbing her arms and sliding her hands down to her wrists. "We're doing everything we can. I promise you, they're gonna be okay."

"They better," Alexis replied. As Beckett looked into Alexis' blue eyes, the very same ones her father had, she could almost see herself in the teenager. For a moment, she felt Alexis' pain. She was reminded of the pain she felt when her mother was murdered and the detectives dismissed it as random gang violence.

"Beckett," a cop called out, standing at the door of the command post. She glanced back. "Incoming call."

Beckett looked back to Alexis. "Okay, I gotta go." She looked to another officer, nodding to Alexis. "Stay with her."

When she answered the call, it didn't take Trapper John long to cut to the chase. There was a situation inside. One of the hostages had a seizure, and it was scaring the others. Demands were changing. They were able to send in a paramedic to get the hostage, and they had to have the bus there in twenty minutes.

One look at Peterson told her it wasn't possible. John wasn't compromising. They were taking the sick hostage and getting that bus outside in twenty minutes. If they couldn't do it, hostages were going to start dying.

She took the ear piece off once the call ended and looked to Peterson's team. "How long till we get that bus?"

"Thirty-five minutes," one of Peterson's men replied.

"You're gonna have to ask for more time," Peterson said.

"He's not gonna take it," Beckett replied. Even her homicide training could see that; she knew when someone was going to cave and when they weren't. They needed another way. Her mind was already trying to figure out a plan of action, but crazy ideas weren't her forte; they were Castle's.

"Then we're gonna have to storm the bank," Peterson said.

"We can't storm the bank," Beckett replied. "We don't know where anyone is. If we go in there now, hostages are going to get killed." _Castle_ was going to get killed. If there was one thing she didn't want to tell Alexis, it was that her father and grandmother were killed in all of this. She promised her she would get them out alive, and Beckett was going to do just that.

"Listen, if we're gonna save any of 'em, we don't have any other choice," Peterson replied.

"Maybe we do," Beckett said. She spoke slowly, as if her mind was putting the pieces of the plan together as she said them aloud. "We can use this sick hostage to our advantage. Instead of sending in a paramedic, we send in a cop with tactical training. That cop gets intel for when SWAT goes in to breach the bank."

"I'm guessing you have a cop in mind," Peterson said.

Beckett smiled. "I do."

It took a little bit of time because they had to secure a uniform for her to play the part, but she made her way into the building, dressed in a paramedic's uniform and armed with nothing but a stretcher. It wasn't her ideal way of entering a building with armed robbers, but it was all she had. Bringing a gun in would've raised an alarm faster than she'd be able to react, and it wasn't worth it.

The doctors seemed to suspect nothing, but as soon as she walked in, she locked eyes with Castle. A small wave of relief washed over her as she realized he was okay. She allowed herself to look around the room, and other than the man on the ground between them, everyone else appeared okay too. Physically, at least. Emotionally and mentally, Beckett could only imagine how they were feeling. As they patted her down to make sure she wasn't armed, she saw Castle reach up to grab a deposit slip to write down a quick note.

It was luck that Castle was here today. Perhaps the hostages still would've been calm even without his presence, but she knew enough about hostage situations that someone, for whatever reason, always felt like they needed to be the hero unnecessarily. She felt reassured knowing that he was in here with them, knowing that he would be able to keep everyone else calm in the face of danger.

"How's he doing?" Beckett asked once they were crouched on the ground together, next to the body. Just like all the murders they solved together, only this was a live body between them. She reminded herself that they'd get through this, together, like they always did because it seemed like no matter what happened, they always ended up back together. If a sniper shooting her in the chest and nearly killing her wasn't enough to drive the two of them apart, then four robbers definitely wasn't going to do it.

"Not good," Castle replied, snapping her back to reality. "His name's Sal Martino, and he has epilepsy. I think the seizure was put on by stress."

Beckett nodded, noticing the way Castle crumpled up a piece of paper in his hands. "Hey, Sal, listen to me, there's people out there that care about you, so just keep breathing." Her hand slid over Castle's, which was holding Sal's, and for a moment, she and Castle locked eyes. "I promise you we're gonna get you out of here."

It was a promise to Sal, though she knew he wouldn't be in there for much longer given the situation, but it was also a promise to Castle. To every other hostage in that room. Every single one of them was going to get out of there alive, and Kate Beckett was going to do everything in her power to see to it.

"Hey," the guy in purple scrubs said. "Don't just talk about it, be about it. And you," he continued, looking to Castle. "Help get him on that gurney now!"

Castle and Beckett worked together to get him on the gurney, and in the process, she was able to get the note from him. As she walked out, Beckett took one last look at Castle. She felt awful, leaving him in there while she and Sal were able to walk out to safety. The emotions that were kept at bay for just a brief moment swelled back up as soon as she walked out of the building.

Real paramedics took over once Martino's body was outside, and Beckett moved to meet up with Alexis, who was still on the opposite side of the police lines but closer to the building. She was aware the teenager was watching her, likely keeping an eye on her and making sure she stayed true to her promise, and Beckett couldn't blame her. She would've done the same thing if she was in Alexis' shoes. Hell, she practically did when her mother was murdered.

"Your dad's okay," Beckett said to Alexis as the two reunited. "Martha is too."

The teenager breathed a sigh of relief as Beckett took Castle's note out of her pocket and unfolded it. "Oh God," she breathed, suddenly grateful that she was holding the note out of Alexis' view. The poor girl was already terrified enough knowing her family was in the building; she didn't need to see this.

"C4" was all the note said, but it was enough for Beckett's heart to sink all the way down to her stomach. It was enough for panic to rise up inside of her. Not only were the lives inside the building at risk now, but the lives outside of the building were too. _Alexis_' life was at risk. If that C4 went off, it was all over. For a moment, she thought she was going to lose control of her emotions and allow her mask to fall, but by some miracle, she maintained composure. She had to.

"Alexis, I need you to go behind that yellow tape, now," Beckett said, masking her panic as best as she could by keeping her voice firm and serious, the same way she would have with a murder suspect. Alexis started to protest, but Beckett looked to one of the uniforms. "Take her behind the line, now!"

Alexis continued to protest, even as Beckett speed walked back to the command post, unbuttoning the top of the uniform she wore in the process, but the uniforms were able to get her back. The knots in her stomach were getting tighter. She felt a pain in her chest, and a bit in her side too, and she wasn't sure if it was nerves or her scars hurting. Probably a bit of both.

The panic inside of her grew. Sure, Castle was smart, and he could probably figure out what to do if there were explosives in the building and protect everyone inside. Even then, her mind went to the worst case scenario. She trusted her partner, but this was C4 they were talking about. There was only so much he could do to protect those inside.

Beckett made it her job to keep Alexis safe, realizing that it was up to her to do that. Alexis probably wouldn't forgive Beckett if she broke her promise and her father and grandmother were killed because of the explosives, but Beckett also knew that Castle would be devastated if he and his mother got out okay but something happened to Alexis. The entire Castle family needed to get out of there unscathed. She wouldn't be able to live with herself otherwise.

She couldn't lose anyone else that she cared about.

"Wait, there's C4 in there?" Peterson asked once Beckett updated him on the situation.

"I didn't see any, but if Castle says it's in there, it's in there," Beckett replied.

It was agreed that sending Peterson's team in would be a major mistake. Castle wouldn't lie to her, not about that, and she knew not to allow anyone to take that risk. Their only hope was with the bus that was still twenty minutes away. There was no choice. She had to negotiate for more time.

Beckett took a deep breath as she put the ear piece on once again and Peterson's team made the call to ask. This was it. If Beckett couldn't pull this off, it was over. She had to remain calm, though she felt the fear and panic rising up inside of her. She could feel it rising over the wall she put up, and she prayed that this would work. She prayed that she would be able to keep her emotions in check long enough to get through this call.

"Where's my bus?" John said once he picked up the phone.

"The bus will be there in twenty minutes. It's on its way," Beckett replied.

"The hostages will be dead in two," John replied.

"No," Beckett said, quickly realizing that she was losing control of the situation. She needed the ball back in her court and fast. "Nobody needs to die. The bus is on its way, it's just stuck in traffic."

"We had rules, Kate," John said. "I said I wouldn't kill anyone, you said you'd get me a bus. I lived up to my end of the bargain." 

"And I'm gonna live up to mine," Beckett said. Frustration joined the panic and fear that welled up inside of her, but she maintained her composure. The wall was still up.

"I warned you about this. I told you not to jerk me around. Do you need me to show you how serious I am?" John replied. It was faint, but she heard the click of a gun in the background.

"No, that won't be necessary. We just need to take a deep breath," Beckett said. Even she had to take her own advice. Panic was starting to win out over the frustration now and fear that was threatening to burst through the wall she'd put up from the moment this all started, but now wasn't the time to show emotions. "We can talk this out."

"I'm done talking," John replied. A gun shot rang out in the background that made even Beckett jump. All she could think of was Castle. If he'd been shot, she wouldn't be able to live with herself. There was so much she hadn't told him. She promised Alexis everything would be okay. The other hostages, what if it was one of them? All of them were innocent bystanders that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The wall was starting to crack; John was breaking her, and both of them knew it.

She took another deep breath to gather herself. "What was that?" she asked.

"A warning shot," John said. "The next one's for the kill."

She could hear Martha's voice in the background, and then she heard Castle's. She didn't hear any groans of pain, just Castle and Martha bickering, though she faintly gathered that her partner was facing danger. She heard the gun click again.

"I'm gonna make pretty red stains out of your boyfriend, Kate," John said, breaking the silence and confirming her worst fears. "I got a gun to his throat, and I'm gonna make a painting out of his insides."

She was sure Peterson said something, but whatever it was, she didn't hear it. The wall came down, and frustration and anger led the flood of emotions that tumbled out as she spoke. She snapped. "Listen to me, jackass. I do not control traffic, so you're gonna have to give me twenty minutes."

"Now you got one minute, Kate," John replied.

"No," Beckett said, maintaining composure but making sure that her frustration was shown. The time for building rapport was over; her partner's life was at stake here, and she was going to be damned if Castle was going to get shot on her watch. Not when she had so much to tell him. Now was the time to let the homicide training show; now was the time for bullying. "I've got twenty. Do you hear me? _Twenty_. Because if you pull that trigger, I will walk straight through those doors and personally put a bullet through your skull."

There was silence. Beckett held her breath, praying to whatever God there was that nothing would happen to Castle, or any of the other hostages, praying that Trapper John wouldn't pull that trigger. It was only about a minute, but the silence felt like an eternity.

"Okay, Kate," John finally said. "You got twenty minutes."

The call ended. Beckett took the ear piece off.

"Well, that's one way to negotiate," Peterson said.

Beckett let out the breath she'd been holding, and she was actually able to muster a small smile. That went surprisingly better than she'd expected. Perhaps her homicide training actually paid off here.

"Why didn't they ask me for something?" Beckett asked, once Peterson was done rallying his troops.

"What?" Peterson said.

"Sir, he gave me twenty minutes, and he didn't ask for anything in return," Beckett said. "If he wanted to remain in control, he would've asked me for something. I mean, this is all way too easy."

"Take the wind, detective," Peterson replied.

"No, sir, something's going on, we're just not asking the right questions," Beckett replied. "I mean, why would he bring C4 to a bank robbery? What does Agnes Fields' murder have to do with any of this?"

Their conversation was interrupted by Roman on the line for Peterson, but the questions never left Beckett's mind. She called Esposito and Ryan to connect with them. Perhaps they could clear the questions that raced through her mind and help keep her mind off of Castle and the danger he was in.

But there was an explosion behind them that rocked the command center, and the color drained from Beckett's face. She slowly stepped outside to see the smoke coming from the building. It took her a moment to compose herself, but she wasted no time in suiting up to go inside. She had to go in. She needed to know if he was okay.

If he was hurt, she needed to be there to help him, comfort him like he did for her when she was shot. If he was killed, she needed to know so she could let her emotions fly free and steel herself for if she had to break the news to Alexis. If he was killed, she wanted to be the one to break the news to Alexis, and she had to be strong for that because she knew one of two things would happen: Alexis would rip her a new one for breaking the promise she made or Alexis would need her comfort. Beckett had to be prepared for either one.

"Castle!" she called once she got inside. Her voice was hoarse, strained; the mask was cracking, and she was doing everything she could to hold it together. She needed to hear his voice. She needed to see his smile. She needed to see him. "Castle!"

"Beckett?" he replied after a moment. Her eyes fell on the vault, and she saw the hostages, all of them, shaken up but alive. She saw _him_. Her heart swelled with happiness, the knot in her stomach was untangling itself. The tension in her body was easing, and the pain she felt earlier was fading away. She jogged over to the vault, and she locked eyes with him. He waved to her as best as he could, his hands were bound together with a zip tie, but he was smiling. A wave of relief washed over her.

He was okay. They were all okay.

"They're here!" Beckett called out. As soon as the words left her mouth, she was going in. She didn't care about not having back up. She just wanted to be closer to him, as close as she could without raising suspicion from anyone around them. "Oh my God," she breathed, laughing, falling to her knees in front of him. He smiled as she took his hands in her own, and just seeing it made all of her fears and worries go away.

"I told you," Castle replied, a bit of a mischievous grin forming on his lips. Under any other circumstances, Beckett would've given him hell, but today? Today, she would let him have his "I told you so" moment. Today, she was grateful that they were even able to share that moment in the first place.

All she could do was look at him and smile as she freed him from the binding. He was okay. They were all okay. She reached out for his face before going for the collar of his jacket and shirt instead. The part of her that wanted to cup his cheek in her hand had to be suppressed. There were too many people here watching, too many things they hadn't discussed yet. That and Martha reminded her that there were other hostages besides Castle, and she had to get back to work on releasing them all from the zip ties that bound their hands together.

Outside, Beckett caught Alexis' eye as they walked out, and she waved to the teenager, allowing her to cross the police barricade to meet her family. As they reunited, Beckett stood back and smiled. They were all okay. She kept her promise. Alexis looked up at Beckett, and though her lips were hidden behind Castle and Martha's, she could see the hint of a smile on her face.

Everything was going to be okay.

There was still a case to be solved though, so she reunited with Esposito and Ryan, allowing Castle to have some time with his family; she couldn't interrupt that, not after everything they'd been through. They didn't need to get back to the precinct to start putting the pieces together. Now that Beckett had a face to the name of Ron Brandt, everything made sense. The hostage she rescued wasn't Sal Martino, he was Brandt, the one behind all of this. Together with Castle, they went back to the precinct to really get everything together, build their case, and rescue Brandt's estranged wife and son.

Everything really was going to be okay. She saved Castle, his mother, all of the hostages from the bank, and a mother and son. Justice was served once more.

"Even as a hostage, I help you solve murders," Castle said, grinning. As he spoke, she couldn't help but smile, though he couldn't see it from behind her hands that were clasped together in front of her mouth. "You know, Beckett, I think you have the perfect partner."

Beckett chuckled, lowering her hands to let Castle see the smile that formed on her lips. "Yeah, except he doesn't like doing paperwork."

"Touche," Castle replied.

They sat in silence for a moment, and she couldn't help but watch him. It was deserved. For a good part of her day, she thought she was going to lose him when they had so many moments to share. She was barely able to admit it to herself, but Castle was so much more than just a partner to her; he was someone that she cared deeply about, someone she loved and dreamed of spending the rest of her life with.

She broke the silence by offering to buy him a drink at the Old Haunt, but apparently he had a different idea of how to spend their evening. Beckett raised an eyebrow, smiling. Together, they went back to his loft, where Martha prepared a giant feast for the family, Beckett included. Castle had to slip away to talk to Alexis, but when he came back, she had a glass of wine all ready for him.

"Thank you," Castle said, taking the glass from him. "And I didn't get a chance to properly thank you for saving my life."

"Oh, there's no need, Castle," Beckett replied. "We're partners. It's what we do."

"Yes, some of us more than others, of course," Castle replied as they went to toast.

Beckett pulled her glass away before they could connect, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that this is the eighth time you've saved my life, and I've saved yours nine," Castle said.

"Okay, first of all, I can't even believe you're keeping score," Beckett said. "And secondly, there is no way you have saved my life more than I have yours. Nine times? Please."

As Castle recounted all the times he'd saved her life, she couldn't suppress the smile that formed on her lips. Moments like this were what she didn't want to lose. Moments like this were what she was terrified of losing. It was one of the many reasons she was terrified to take her relationship with Castle to the next level. She was finally getting her life together, mostly anyways; she was finally starting to feel happy again, something she hadn't genuinely felt since her mother's murder.

These moments with Castle, being able to smile and laugh even better than she used to when her mother was alive, were moments she didn't want to lose. Not now, not ever. These moments were worth fighting for.


End file.
